


I & Vincible

by macawonie



Category: I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Heeseung/Jungwon, Heeseung/Sunghoon, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sunghoon/Jake, Sunghoon/Jay, a little fluff, heeseung loves his leopard beanie more than anything, idk what to tag anymore, let OT23 debut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25857841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macawonie/pseuds/macawonie
Summary: Sunghoon would always ask for Heeseung's whereabouts but when the time came that Heeseung's the one to ask for Sunghoon, no one can tell him where he is.
Relationships: Heeseung/Sunghoon - Relationship
Comments: 14
Kudos: 51





	1. Spring Day

**IBLANK INTERVIEW: FINALE**

It is the last I-Blank interview and the trainees were asked to describe each other just like how they were asked to for the first day.

“If there is one word or a phrase to describe a _Park Sunghoon_ , what would it be?”

Some has different answers.

“ _My favorite hyung!!_ ”

“ _quiet.. but cute and funny._ ”

“ _a hyung that has the reverse charm._.”

“ _our figure skating prince!_ ”

“ _a friend that I can rely on._ ”

“ _my support system..I learned a lot from him._ ”

and the rest has the same exact answers..

“ _where is Heeseung-hyung?_ ”

for the same exact reason..

“ _he’s always asking for Heeseung-hyung. He’s always next to him wherever he goes. An hour won’t pass that he’s not asking for him._ ”

**D-1 of I-LAND**

_Spring_ , a lot of people loved the season for it was the time where the flowers starts to bloom. They said it's the right time to go on a travel or walk outside and appreciate the nature's beauty. Some also said that it was the best time to go on a relationship, go on dates, walk in the street while holding their hands..

but not for for Sunghoon..

It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Not really the right time to walk under the broad daylight in the middle of a strange forest but here they are walking side by side, scared that they might get lost.

“hold my hand so you won’t get lost, okayy?” Jay said as if he’s talking to a 5-year-old kid.

“eih~ there’s only one way to get in and out of here. we’re not Hansel and Gretel to do that. Except if you’re scared~” Sunghoon answered back while slightly slapping Jay’s hand.

"you're talking nonsense and it sends.." Jay glared at him then started to walk faster.

“wha- Jay-ah!! DO YOU REALLY LIKE TO HOLD MY HAND THAT MUCH?!!” he grinned as he followed his pace.

Jay just continued talking and teasing Sunghoon who unconsciously held his hand, trying to be careful to walk through the slippery and rocky parts of the road.

“stop acting like you don’t like holding hands..” he whispered and sighed.

The two has been together for almost 3 years at Big Hit Entertainment and were both transferred to its sublabel called Belift lab for the reality show. They’re known for being the “magnet” among the trainees because they’re like the two opposite poles with different personalities who attract each other but never in their history did they admit their friendship to each other.

After a long walk, they reached the middle of the forest where a cube-like building is located. You can clearly see the amazement on their faces as they entered the huge door of the I-Land.

Sunghoon and Jay are the 19th and 20th participant to arrive so as expected, there were already some trainees inside.

While the moving floor takes them to the other side, the other trainees seem to be astonished by how they radiate the cool and hip vibe. They also have the calm reaction from the moving floor which is unusual unlike the others who get startled by it.

“they’re the only one who’s not surprised”

Right when they sat in their respective seats, Jay can already feel the tension around them so he cut it off by saying, “so.. uhm.. you may not notice right away but we’re very trustworthy persons.”

The trainees around him were surprised by his sudden confession, especially Sunghoon who is currently fixing his bag on the floor.

_wtf are you saying. we just arrived here._

“haha but now that you said it, you won’t look trustworthy at all..” Sunghoon whispered while gritting his teeth.

Jay can’t hide the excitement on meeting other people and even added, “bro, just take it. The air is making me feel like I ate 100 sweet potatoes and then drank a glass of soda.”

He went on the same energy with every trainee inside the circle while Sunghoon is feeling the second-hand embarrassment caused by the latter.

_istg this guy’s gonna embarrass the sht out of me. It hasn’t even been 1 hour! I wanna cry. MOM GET ME OUT OF HERE_

“uh.. hi. I’m Jake.” Sunghoon came back to his senses because of the sudden introduction from the guy beside him.

“oh haha hi.. I’m Park Sunghoon. Nice to meet you.” _hmm. Well, he’s cute.. he seem nice._

“hyung, did you know that he’s been practicing how to say ‘hi’ ever since we got here?” the guy with the cream jacket said while covering his mouth using his hands.

“hey! that’s so embarrassing” Jake frowned and slightly pushed him using his elbow.

“anyways, I’m Kim Sunoo.” Sunoo just laughed at him and introduced himself.

“hello.. I’m Lee Youngbin” _Lee?sounds.. familiar?_

The four of them just continued talking until Jay announced that someone is coming.

“someone’s coming.. who is it??”

A guy with a huge tie dye shirt came in.

“oh! He looks so handsome!”

“wow he looks like a model??”

“so cool!!”

_No way it’s-_

“oh! It’ Heeseung-hyung! It’s Heeseung-hyung!”

Sunghoon can’t stop smiling as he recognized the person standing on the moving floor.

_He didn’t even get surprised_.

He didn’t removed his eyes away from Heeseung until Jay hugged him tight as soon as he reached their place.

“HEESEUNG-HYUNG IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME!!” _JAY YOU’RE SO ANNOYING STOP?!_

When Heeseung finally take his seat, Sunghoon took his chance to talk to him.

**_Sunghoon’s POV_ **

“Heeseung-hyung!!” I reached his hand and tried my best to get his attention since Jay is between us.

“ahh.. Sunghoon-ah, I’m glad you’re here” Heeseung-hyung said as he held my hand and gave me a smile.

Heeseung-hyung is one of the most popular trainee for he always gets no. 1 in our monthly evaluation in EACH category. Jay and I have been looking up to him since we entered Big Hit but I didn’t expected him join this competition??

_He’s very talented and kind._

_a soft spoken person which I liked about him._

Plus, he is not just known for his talent and skills but also for his charms and looks.

He has a pretty doe eyes which compliments his tall nose and his small thin lips.

I was busy appreciating his beauty when we suddenly heard a loud alarm out of nowhere followed by the flashing lights above us. The alarm continued as the lights on wall became red which gave us an uneasy feeling.

“ _Dear 23 applicants, welcome._ ” a deep voice of a man said.

The man continued talking until, “ _but all 23 of you can’t go in there-“_ _what??_

“ _the power to decide those 12 people are up to you._ ” he continued explaining that the first entry test would be the performances that we prepared beforehand and we need to vote base on what we saw.

All of us began to look at each other, still hesitant to stand up until someone named Choi Seon had the courage to go up on the moving stage.

At the end of his performance he got 22 votes. _Sigh. Will I get the same number of votes?_

When the voice announced that it’s time for the second performance, that became our cue to stand up. And just like the first one, a lot of us stood up and walked fast to the center.

Jay, being the competitive that he is, asked the other groups to play rock, paper, scissors to decide on who will perform first.

_really, Jay? it’s the first day and you’re pla-_

“안 내면 진 거 가위 바위 보~” _rock over scissors..he won. ok I take it back. This guy could actually do something right. I’m impressed._

We went up to the stage and I’m trying to keep my cool but I didn’t know that this could actually make me nervous as hell.

We’re gonna be performing _The 7 th Sense_ _by NCT U_ which has a unique concept and genre that makes it different with the other songs.

_I wish we could pull this off_.

The song started playing with the flashing lights from the background.

_deep breaths._

“ _we’ll take it slow~_ ” I sang as I waved my body with the rhythm. " _in the same dream I hear a familiar song that calls to me, it connects us~"_

I-Land is a new environment for all of us where we could improve and reach our dreams and i want all of us to take everything slow.

_"open your eyes, quietly open your eyes."_

just like the song, I-Land serves as the wake-up call for us in the idol industry. I've been training for almost three years and I know that I still lack some skills but I won't give up and prove myself to everyone especially _my mom_.

_"open your eyes._ " I opened my eyes as the song ended then the voting started.

While we were performing I heard all of their cheers and reactions but I wasn’t really confident with the results since we don’t know each other well and I understand that but I’m still hoping they could give me a chance.

all of them raised their hands even Heeseung-hyung so that means both of us got in and there’s only 9 slots remaining.

As the other units perform, the number on the screen behind us are also decreasing.

_6_

It’s now Heeseung-hyung’s turn to perform and can I just say that I’m more than excited? This will be my first time seeing him perform on stage after months of not seeing each other.

The performance started with stretching his arms and a smirk which gave me goosebumps.

Every move that he does, you can clearly see how he meticulously practiced every important detail. Little did he know, those simple smirks gave me butterflies in my stomach. _Is this normal?_

I remembered back in Big Hit when I saw Heeseung-hyung practicing _DNA by BTS_ with the other trainees. That time I was just wandering around the building looking for Jay since we’re both newbies and he’s the only person that I know.

I stopped by the practice room to look if he was there but to my surprise, only 3 people were there. I got curious so I silently pushed the door and went inside.

There were three of them but one guy caught my attention. The guy at the center wearing a neon sweatshirt and an orange snapback. Base from his dance steps it looks like he’s covering Jungkook’s part.

The part came where only two persons were left at the center for the duet and the guy on the orange cap was one of them.

“ _걱정하지_ _마_ _, love~_ ” he was facing my direction and I was shocked when he smirked at me and nodded his head before turning around. I know that it’s a part of the choreography but why did it make my cheeks burning? _Is that necessary?_

I tried to calm myself before the song ended. I slightly clapped my hands as a sign that I loved their performance. _The smirk aside but I really loved their performance_.

“Thank you~” bowing their heads before the other two went straight to the water dispenser and the speaker to stop other songs from playing.

“helloo. Are you one of the newcomers?” the guy on the orange cap said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

_uhm.. this is.. awkward. he’s sweating haha but you smell nice so.. okay._

“ uh yes. My name is Park Sunghoon. Nice to meet you.” I tried not to stutter in front of him but I can still feel my cheeks from burning.

“yo whipped guy. stop daydreaming and focus. We’re about to start voting” I came back to my senses when Jay whispered in my ear.

“I am not.” I said as I looked at the front and noticed that Heeseung-hyung is done performing.

“what not? being whipped or the daydreaming part?” Jay continued teasing.

“stop.” I just glared at him and raised my hand.

As expected, he got in with 21 votes.

Heeseung-hyung came back to his seat and I just gave him a thumbs up since other trainees are already congratulating him.

The number of slots went down until it reached to negative. No one knows what’s that for but there’s still one group who hasn’t performed yet.

“I’m so nervous..my heart is about to explode. I never thought we’d perform last.” I heard Jake whispered. I can see how he’s been practicing on his seat. He also shakes his feet maybe to lessen the nervousness that he’s feeling.

They’ll be the last one to perform and to be honest, I’m also scared for their team since they don’t have any assurance on passing this test.

The three of them positioned themselves at the stage. _ohh this formation.._ the three of them were sitting at the floor while their feet are in V-shape. Sunoo is at the center while Jake is at the left and Youngbin on the other side.

The familiar morse code started playing and the first line was done by Jake. while he is singing, I noticed how he has some cute accent even though it’s in korean.

“ _who you~ you~”_ the way he moved his hand is so delicate. His hair that covered his left eye added more effect when he smiled. _wow..he’s good._

The voting started and I raised my hand for him because why not? He delivered his part well. And I’ve been seeing him voting for everyone which is amazing for someone who also needs the slot, he didn’t hesitated to vote for the others. He looks kind.

At the end, all of them got in which makes it -4.

“hey thank you so much for raising your hand. I saw you raised your hand for us and I’m really thankful for that.” Jake said as soon as he sat beside me. He seems to be shy but he’s so cute.

“ah haha we really think you did great and you deserve it so we had to.” things are still awkward between us but I’m glad he’s trying his best to talk to me.

I’m introverted and not really the conversationalist type of person but I guess..

_A lot of things will change here._ :)

I- LAND TOUR

As soon as we get in the I-Land, we looked for each features starting from the practice room. The practice room is spacious. Big enough for all of us. Two sides of the wall has the mirrors while the other side only has a transparent glass wall that separates it from the lobby.

I was looking through the mirror when I noticed Heeseung-hyung dancing a familiar choreography with Niki.

“hyung, haven’t we done this before?” Jungwon asked, pertaining to the choreography as he poke my side a bit.

I immediately copied the dance but the others started to go out of the room so I slowly stopped.

There I noticed how Heeseung-hyung is watching me from the mirror which made me more embarrassed of myself but he just smiled at me.

“haha well that’s.. a little embarrassing..” I said as I started walking behind Heeseung-hyung.

“hyung, you did great what do you mean” Jungwon turned to tell me.

I was digging my nails at the end of my sweater sleeves when Heeseung-hyung gave me a side hug so I wrapped my right arm around his waist.

_damn when will he stop making my heart beat fast..i’m-_

“have you been doing well? I have so many questions to ask you” he said as he smiled showing his bright teeth.

_what. did you missed me?_ but that was too brave for me so I ended up answering, “ ah.. yeah.. just go tell me, hyung haha..” _park sunghoon since when did you became this boring.._

I can feel the presence of someone on my left side so I looked at him and realized that Jungwon is still here.

“I missed you _two_. How have you been doing since you transferred?” _we. two._

I saw how Jungwon giggled at the side. “it’s harder than when we’re at Big Hit, hyung. The teachers are more strict than we thought.”

Heeseung-hyung is just smiling while listening to Jungwon.

“I only went to a competition once since I became too busy with the training. Didn’t know that will be the last competition that I’ll be joining.” I frowned as I looked at my feet while walking, reminiscing all the memories that I have inside the ice rink.

“ohh.. that is why..” he faced me and then put both of his hands on my shoulders, “you need to work hard here and debut as an idol so you won’t regret letting go of figure skating. Okay?” he added while he’s looking directly in my eyes.

_I promise._

I just gave him a reassuring smile before he slowly removed his hands on my shoulder and turn around to go inside the training room while me and the others went to the next room which is the lounge area.

The lounge area has long chairs on each sides and 3 round tables at the center. There are only 2 available seats because it was all occupied by the others so I took the seat beside Daniel.

Just seconds after, I felt someone sat beside me but it was too awkward if I suddenly look at him so I pretended to look around and I noticed that it was Jake.

“this place is great” he started.

“ ah yeah haha. It really is. I wish I can stay here..”

“I’m pretty sure you will.” he replied and smiled. Told you he’s nice.

“thanks.. I guess”

We were just looking at each other smiling when a jabberjay appeared in front of us and sat at the round table. _I swear this guy doesn’t have manners. How the hell did he became a son of a CEO?_

“hi. what’s going on between you two?” he said with a teasing smile that made me stop smiling.

I just looked at him with a blank expression and I was about to hit him when I noticed Heeseung-hyung standing next to him, probably looking for a vacant seat.

“hy-“ was about to call him when he turned around and exited the room.

I heard a chuckle from Jake and Jay. “what? why are you laughing?” I can feel my face getting hot from another embarrassment. _great._

Jake just shook his head, still laughing. “we saw nothing. come on. I think they’re going upstairs to see the house.”

_am I.. obvious?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! i'm finally gonna start this au after a month of planning itkndkjhfjhv. This is my first time writing an au so please bare with my mistakes and don’t expect too much hehe. English is not my first language so sorry if it might sound uninteresting or something. some of the scenes are based from iland cams and episodes. I hope you enjoy this au and please keep on supporting and loving the boys^^


	2. Indignity

It’s been a week since the program started and they have been spending their time enjoying all of the stuffs in the house, practicing random dances, playing around, and getting to know each other.

Sunghoon, who just finished getting his clothes from the laundry, saw Jay standing in front of the cooking stove.

“am I doing it wrong?” Jay whispered to himself while stirring the ‘special’ dish that he’s bragging about since this morning.

“you’ve been standing there for almost an hour. Are you sure you’re good at cooking?” he approached him with a taunting manner on his voice then rested his free hand on the countertop while watching Jay get confused with his own recipe.

“you’re acting like you’re not enjoying the foods that I cook everyday” Jay didn’t even bat an eye and continued adding more condiments. “I’ve done this so many times, I can even cook it with my eyes closed.”

Sunghoon formed an ‘o’ with his lips, ”is that why you’ve been adding salt every 5 seconds?”

Jay stopped midway adding another teaspoon of the said ingredient and looked at the other with his eyebrows crossed then back at the teaspoon that he’s holding. He sticked his index finger to get a small amount and tasted it.

Jay’s face started getting red not because of the hot steam coming from the food that’s already boiling but because, “ wHO THE FCK CHANGED THE LABELS OF SUGAR AND SALT?!”

Suddenly, someone behind the kitchen table started running..

“KIM DONGKYU I’M GONNA FCKING BREAK YOUR KNEECAPS COME BACK HERE, YOU BRAT” Jay shouted then followed a running Daniel in the living room, still holding a teaspoon on his right hand and a ladle on the other.

Sunghoon started to walk back to the purple room, still can’t hold back himself from laughing.

“Sunghoon-hyung, what’s happening?” Jungwon asked that made him stop.

Jungwon is currently sitting at the couch with Heeseung, who is now looking at Sunghoon waiting for the answer.

“ahh.. it seems like Daniel changed the label for the sugar and salt. Jay got mad because he can’t finish the dish that he’s cooking” he replied.

Jungwon became uncomfortable on his seat after he heard the word ‘labels’. “hah.. ah.. I think I forgot something on the lounge? yeah..“

The two just watched Jungwon run down the stairs following by Jay calling his name like they’re playing hide-n-seek.

The next thing they knew, I-Land became a playground because of the three of them.

Sunghoon was still laughing when Heeseung stood up quietly and went to the kitchen to look for the food that Jay is cooking. The younger then left his clothes at the couch and followed him.

There he saw Heeseung trying to save Jay’s dish.

“hyung.. do you know how to cook?” he went to the same place when he’s watching Jay a while ago.

“uhm.. no” Heeseung laughed at his own, “I’ll just try to make it better so we can finally eat.”

It’s just a simple thing but Sunghoon can’t help but to look at him with admiration in his eyes.

“but.. I can try cooking if you want me to.” he added.

_If..I? want him to? wait, did I heard it right? I think I forgot how to breathe for a second.._

“uhm.. I mean.. I can cook if you guys want me to but it will take time since I’m not really into cooking. And of course I need some assistance so.. what do you think?” Heeseung said when he noticed Sunghoon stopped replying and is just staring at the pot in front of them.

“yes of course! We’ll help you with that. You can always ask me for help. I’ll always be here.” _always._

They just laughed at each other before Heeseung put his hand on the younger’s waist.

“here. try this.” Heeseung scooped a little using a spoon then blowed some air so it won’t be too hot for Sunghoon.

_hyung you’re too close I might lose my sanity._ Others might think that he’s in love but for him, it’s just a little bit of a crush. It will go away he said.

They were just looking at each other.

the one waiting for an answer,

and the other one thinking if _he’s_ the answer.

“what do you think?”

“ohh hyung It tastes good!! you can replace Jay already!” Sunghoon flinched but still continued to give him compliments, the older just gave him a shy smile and looked away to finish cooking the food.

“it’s not like that.. I just fixed it a little. It’s still Jay’s recipe.” Sunghoon was just looking at him.

They’ve been roommates together with Seon for five days and with such a little time, Sunghoon have noticed Heeseung never changed his little habits especially when he gets complimented.

He either chuckle a little or raise both of his shoulders and look down which he finds cute for some reason.

“I think we should call the others so we can eat already?” Sunghoon looked away when Heeseung looked back at him. _how long did I stared at him wth._

All of them started eating while on the other side, Jay, Jungwon, and Daniel were still sweating and tired from all the chasing and running that they did.

“how was it? it tastes good? right? I ALREADY TOLD Y’ALL MY OWN RECIPE IS GOOD. YOU SHOULD HIRE ME AS YOUR HOME CHEF” Jay proudly said then crossed his arms.

“it wouldn’t taste good if it wasn’t for Heeseung-hyung” Sunghoon talked back then looked at Heeseung who is currently laughing beside him.

“it wouldn’t taste bad if it wasn’t for Jungwon and Daniel” Jay said while stuffing his mouth with bread.

“WHY IS IT ME AGAIN? I ALREADY TOLD YOU IT’S JUNGW-“ Daniel started to complain when he heard his name.

“yayyy! EVERYONE SAY ‘THANK YOU HEESEUNG-HYUNG!!” Jungwon announced with both of his hands in the air that Jay replied with a smack on the head.

Every breakfast, they all eat separately since they do not wake up at the same time. And then from lunch and dinner, they will gather and eat together. It is their way of getting closer and spending their time with each other.

I-Landers are still enjoying their lunch when a familiar loud alarm was heard all over the house.

“ _The first test will be announced in 10 minutes_ ” the trainees started to rush their meals. Some didn’t even bother to, because of the fear of getting late.

12 boys are now gathered at the lobby when the same voice talked again and explained all the mechanics.

“ _from now on, we will present the first test.”_ He said at last.

‘ _Signal Song_ ’ showed on the screen which is probably the title of the song.

Everyone got shocked when a song started playing together with the line distribution and the dance practice shown on the screen.

“I think number 1 is the closest to being the center.” Jay said when he noticed that part 1 has most of the screentime and lines.

When the song ended, everyone looked at each other, still fascinated by the song that is made just for them.

“so.. should we.. talk about the parts now or do you guys have any suggestions?” Seon started.

“hyung, what part do you want to get?” Jungwon whispered to Jay.

“of course the part 1. I think everyone wants that part.” Jay answered him then came back to focus on the discussion.

“I think.. I think we should practice the song first and then come back here so we could see who fits each part..” Heeseung suggested which everyone agreed into.

All of them took their time to practice the song so they could pick each other’s parts later.

Hours have passed. They’re all exhausted from all the practice but Sunghoon still has the energy to walk around.

“are you done practicing?” Jake asked him.

“uhm.. do you know where Heeseung-hyung is practicing?” Sunghoon ignored his question but he stopped in front of Jake.

“I saw him entered your room awhile ago but I’m not sure if he’s still there.” Jake looked up to him since he’s sitting at the floor.

“oh. okay thanks.” he turned around to leave the room.

“are you done practicing already?” Jake asked again, hoping they could practice together.

“yes, but I’m going to ask Heeseung-hyung if he wants to practice together. And since he’s already at our room, I guess I’ll just practice there, too.” Sunghoon answered, already holding the door frame.

“okay..good luck I guess.” Jake ran his fingers through his hair before looking down at his tablet.

Sunghoon then went to the purple room but it was closed so he opened it quietly since Heeseung might be busy practicing inside.

Heeseung stopped the music coming from his tablet when he notices Sunghoon peeking from the door.

“I heard you’re practicing here”, Sunghoon started as he opened the door wide so he could fully enter the room.

“practice rooms are all occupied and I don’t want to distract them so I stayed here. what about you? are you done practicing? there’s still a lot of time” Heeseung replied looking at Sunghoon from the mirror while working at a dance part he couldn’t get.

“I just..wanted to ask you if you wanna practice together? there’s also this part that I really want to get and I’m hoping you could help me with it?” he sat the end of Heeseung’s bed so he won’t be taking the space where he’s dancing.

“okay.” Heeseung said while fixing his cap.

“huh? are you sure? I mean.. you could say no since this is you-“ Sunghoon covered his fingers with his sleeves and played with it.

The older went in front of him and cupped his cheeks to lift his face so he could look at him then started to tap his cheeks lightly.

“it’s okay. don’t think of yourself as a bothersome because you will never be, understand that? We’ve known each other for years and I treat you like a brother so helping you with these kinds of things is fine.” He continued through fixing his hair, ruffling it, then fixing it again.

“you can always ask me for help, I wouldn’t mind.” Sunghoon was just looking at him the whole time, ignoring how he called him “brother”.

_‘I don’t know if I should panic everytime you are this close or should I be happy because I can see you this close?’_ Sunghoon thought. He looked at every features of his face. From his doe and dreamy eyes that holds the whole universe, to his tall nose, and his thin pinkish lips. _I wish I could just stare at you forever._

“shall we start?” Heeseung asked that made him blink and look away.

That is when Sunghoon felt how his heart is beating fast so he gave himself a deep breath before looking at the mirror. He saw how red his cheeks are but he doesn’t know if it’s because of how Heeseung squished his cheeks or it’s just because of Heeseung alone.

The two started practicing as far as they can.

Heeseung will compliment him from time to time but will also tell him where he should change some things to improve.

The time has come and they all gathered in the practice room to talk about each parts.

Starting from the part 1, “anyone who wants to get the first part please raise your hand.” Heeseung announced but no one raised their hand.

They’re all conscious of raising their hand because of so many things.

‘ _it requires the person to be good at singing and dancing but I can’t even reach the high notes’_

_‘I know I can show them how good I am at dancing but it will also take me at risk since it’s the most important part’_

“hyung, should I start counting?” Daniel suggested which Heeseung gave the permission to do so.

“5.. 4.. 3.. 2… 1…” he finished counting but no one still raised their hands.

‘ _nothing will happen if we continue doing it like this’_ Heeseung thought to himself and think about another way to pick the first part.

Heeseung is still hesitant to ask because if you’re gonna ask him, he also wants the first part, of course. But just like everyone else, he’s scared of being at the highest risk. He is indeed talented but there’s still the fear of failing and getting eliminated. It’s _invincible_.

“anyone who.. has a recommendation for the first part raise your hands.”

3 persons raised their hand.

Youngbin. Jungwon.

and _Sunghoon._

_Heeseung knows._

Heeseung knows him very well but he still asked him first.

“who? Who do you want to pick?” he’s scared of his answer. Scared that it might change everything but he shoved it off with a smile.

Sunghoon slowly pointed his fingers at him. He even made a cute gesture like a gun pointing at the other while aiming at his target which made everyone laugh especially Heeseung who’s already tinted red because of how flirty and funny it looks.

‘ _why does he have to do that ohmygod’_ he thought.

“you. Heeseung-hyung.” Sunghoon answered while looking at him. only _him._

Heeseung is stopping himself from smiling. _Yes, I know I look like a fcking chilli pepper right now but.._

“why? reasons. what was the reason why?”

“because you can do both singing and dancing. I think this part fits you perfectly.”

Everyone laughed when Heeseung tried to suppress his smile by dragging down the ends of his lips using his index fingers as if it will make him less flustered.

“Youngbin?” he asked, since Youngbin also raised his hand earlier.

“same answer. same reason. the image fits you.”

“when I first heard the song, I also thought ‘I knew this was for Heeseung” K added.

Daniel also raised his hand and everyone looked at him thinking he will recommend another person, “I want to vote for Heeseung-hyung, too.”

Jay smacked his head, “majority already wants him to do it. why did you even tried.”

“everyone who wants Heeseung to do it please raise your hand.” Seon said.

All of them raised his hand which left him with no choice.

“so it’s Heeseung then.” they all clapped for him but Heeseung still can’t believe that all of them trusted him for taking the most important part.

“now he doesn’t like it anymore” Youngbin teased him when he noticed that Heeseung was looking down.

“huh? no it’s not like that. I just.. I’m just a bit shocked.” He laughed it off but inside him he’s already thinking about all the pressure, all the consequences that he might face.

Then with Heeseung’s lead, they started to pick each other’s parts.

“raise your hands if you want to get this part.”

“raise your hands to vote for – “

Jay and Sunghoon has been constantly raising their hands, trying to get every part that they practiced beforehand.

They’re in the middle of voting for part 6 and Jay is getting anxious

“is that all?” Heeseung asked for the part 7 participants.

Sunghoon still haven’t get any part from raising his hand so he shouted “me!!”.

4 of them raised their hands. Nicholas, Niki, Jay, and Sunghoon.

The more the lines that they have, the more screentime that they’ll get. Less screentime, less chance of getting noticed. Part 7 will only have 2 lines and Sunghoon got more desperate but he managed to stay calm and positive. On the other hand, Jay is losing all the confidence that he had from the beginning.

All of the nominees has a chance to sing the line, “ _the purpose of waiting and enduring_ ”

Jay’s voice is more into the husky and full while Sunghoon’s voice is sweet-like-honey type. Both sends different vibes while delivering the same line but will make you feel things that’s why the rest of the I-Landers are thorned on who to vote.

The voting started. Nicholas and Niki got 0 and Jay got 2.

Jay’s voice is nice. It fits the line actually but 5 of them liked Sunghoon’s voice more which made him get the Part 7.

Sunghoon clapped in joy, threw his back in the floor and flapped his feet in the air but was stopped by Geonu when he heard Jay.

“that’s it. I’ll just take whatever’s left.” He burst out and threw his tablet on the floor. The air in the room became heavy. All the trainees began to look at each other. Jay has been feeling all the anger, resentment, and humiliation for not getting all the parts that he’s been trying to get.

Jay is fully aware that his voice is not at the right condition. He has been practicing for the first 4 parts which requires him to reach a lot of high notes.

‘ _am I not enough?’_

_‘don’t they trust me?’_

_‘should I just give up?’_

Starting from Part 8, the member will only get 1 line and it won’t help them that much in getting a high score.

“only you?” Heeseung asked Nicholas which made Jay go back to his senses.

“sorry I’m spacing out.” Jay said and raised his hand. All of them were shocked that he still didn’t gave up and tried the remaining parts.

“now I and-“ his voice cracked in the middle. at this point, you could feel it in his voice that he’s not confident anymore. He tries to lower it and it feels like there’s something bothering on his throat.

At the end, all of them voted for him. They’re happy for him but Jay himself looked down, thinking of how they might’ve done it out of pity.

After all they take parts, some of them started practicing on their own while Heeseung took Jay out of the room for a while.

Sunghoon noticed this and was about to follow them when K stopped him and said, “it will be alright” and ruffled his hair.

He knows what Jay feels since he also did the same. They have been training for years and that was probably one of the most humiliating moment in their training life.

Minutes after, only Heeseung came back to the practice room.

“let’s give him some time. that’s a lot to take in so let’s understand him. he said he’ll come back after awhile.” he said before he asked them to start practicing.

-

It’s the 4th day of practice and Heeseung is currently leading all of them with the help of Niki for the choreography.

“everyone, can we all gather and practice?” Heeseung went to the center with Niki and K.

_‘sigh. It’s probably hard to be a father of 11, huh?’_ Sunghoon thinks.

“if one person gets it wrong, that person will really stand out in this part so Niki and I were thinking if we should try watching each one’s performance?” he started when all of them are sitted at the center.

Some of them agreed while the others are still scared since it will be their first time to show their performance to the others and they are not that confident with their skills.

Heeseung and Niki gave each other a look before the older decided to stand up.

“I’ll start it off” he said. Niki played the chorus of ‘Into the I-Land’ with the use of speaker in the practice room.

Heeseung always gives jaw dropping performances. No doubts, he’s the ‘ _ace_ ’.

He’s like the celebrity of all the trainees. popular. good at everything. full package. _untouchable._ name it.

No one can’t not love a Lee Heeseung.

That is why after his performance, instead of having the confidence to stand up at the center, no one dared to do so. they got scared of the comparison. getting judged. getting humiliated.

The fear piled up inside them.

“should we do it according to parts? jungwon?” he called.

Jungwon covered his mouth in shock, “don’t expect too much but.. o-okay” he stand up at the center and started.

Then it all started, a trainee will show his performance then Heeseung and Niki will give their opinion and advice based on what they saw.

which… made the atmosphere inside the room heavy, once again.

The remaining trainees who haven’t performed yet are feeling more nervous as the numbers of people in their side are decreasing that means a lot more people will see their performance in front.

“you’re a little fast on the beat” he gave a thumbs up.

“can we see it one more time?”

“add a little more power”

“Niki told me that Jake’s performance was the best by far.”

It’s now Youngbin’s turn and he was most nervous because he is the last one to perform.

“I think.. it would help if you have more confidence. From what I see, you can definitely do it but you can’t right now because you don’t have the confidence.” Heeseung continued on giving his advice.

no. it made Youngbin more anxious. He felt all the pressure coming from the eyes of the trainees watching him.

since he was the last one and they are all done, Heeseung now asked to continue practicing.

but Youngbin excused himself for a moment to get some water.

“hyung..” Jay and Daniel went to Heeseung after they saw Youngbin left.

“I think you should talk to Youngbin-hyung” Daniel said that made Heeseung stop dancing.

“why- ahh.. I’m also thinking about that. I haven’t practiced with him and I feel sorry for the things that I’ve said awhile ago”

Heeseung would always spend his time with each trainee to practice together, give his advice and such.

He hasn’t done it yet with the others but he’s trying to divide his time from leading the team, his own practice time, and spending his time with the other members.

It’s exhausting but that is what he think will help to improve the team.

_well.. that’s what he thought._

The next morning, Heeseung prepared himself before calling all of them. He was about to when he saw them sitting at the stairs at the lobby.

He already saw this coming but he didn’t expected the moment they laid their eyes on him.

“Heeseung, can we talk about something?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update ㅠㅠ a lot of things happened and i know some of us still haven't moved on from ep 8. i hope you're taking care of yourself. thank you for reading~ 
> 
> share me ur thoughts at twt @heeseungluvr
> 
> stan and vote for Jay!!\\(*-*)/


	3. Growth

Wednesday morning, Heeseung is preparing himself because he’s planning to talk to his teammates today.

Undeniably, the guy is aware that there are some problems with how he leads the team from the past days. _He can feel it._

One time, he’s teaching the dance where he changed something a little bit from the original choreography. They noticed it but he also explained why.

_‘for the performance to look good’_

_‘it’s for the team..’_

Ending, they followed the original choreography since it might affect on how the producers may think especially Mr. Son Sungdeuk who created the whole thing. _that’s gonna be offensive as hell._

‘ _I made them confused’_ he sighed.

Yesterday, he asked them to perform one by one. He knows how humiliating it is, he has experienced it before but with more professional trainers. He is no professional but he still tried for the sake of their performance.

This morning, he woke up alone in the room but he shrugged it off thinking that they might be at the dining area, having breakfast.

but no, there was an unusual silence in the whole house.

_Oh. they might be practicing._ he thought so he continued doing his morning routines.

Eat a light breakfast. Clean the dishes. Take a bath.

But the silence is still sending him different signals.

Usually, the sound system can be heard at the staircase when they’re practicing but right now, it is terribly silent.

After he finished all his routines, he went down the stairs.

But as he walk down, he met Daniel who has a weird expression on his face. _It’s fear. shock. it’s like he saw something he should not._

“hyung.. I was.. I was just about to call you” Daniel stuttered.

_ok now what’s happening.._

“ah yes. was about to go there actually.” with all the questions in his mind.

“Heeseung” Seon appeared at Daniel’s back.

“can we talk about something?” that’s when he realized what’s happening so he nodded his head and followed their lead.

When they reached the lobby all of them are already seated at the stairs. Some watched him until he reached the empty space at the center while the others fixed their eyes at the floor, avoiding his gaze.

“as you all know,” Seon started. “it’s been days since we started practicing and.. I know we only had a short time getting to know each other. it’s so stressful and as you can see Heeseung has been helping us with everything.” they all listened and nodded.

“these past few days I heard a lot of concerns so I thought, we should talk about it together so there won’t be any misunderstanding in the future.” Seon intertwined both of his hands as he looked at everyone then stopped at Heeseung who is sitting beside him with his chin rested on his hand.

“before we called you, we already talked about all of the concerns to discuss here so the things won’t get harder to fix”

“ Jungwon, Niki, and I noticed the changes with the choreography. We have nothing against it actually because it’s a lot easier than the original one but we have to think about what will the producers say. Especially the one who created the whole thing. It might affect in our scores not just as an individual but also as a group. And we wouldn’t want to have a low score because we all know the consequences.” Geonu started.

“but the thing is, we all have different styles in dancing and it’s so hard to ‘copy’ someone’s style when we really shouldn’t do that because we need to be ourselves to show the producers what we really are.” K added.

“first of all, I apologize if I made you all confused with the choreography. I know I shouldn’t have done that in the first place. But I also thought about the same thing last night like ‘what if the producers actually prefer seeing the original choreography and not how we like to do it. “

“how _I_ like to do it.” he repeated, pointing at himself.

“sometimes it’s not about completing the choreography, it’s how good it looks. but I thank everyone for making me realize my mistake.

I’m sorry if I exceeded your limits.” He explained before he motioned his hand to proceed with the discussion.

“about the solo performance thing yesterday. I think everyone knows that I have the shortest training period and I don’t have that much experience unlike everyone. And what happened yesterday is still a new thing for me. having to perform in front of people is kinda hard for me especially that you’re my co-trainees and I can see that you’re better than me. I know that I lack confidence and I still have to work on that. I understand why you needed to do that but yesterday I couldn’t help but to feel horrible. I felt humiliated. I prefer dancing in groups or by two but it’s like you’re evaluating us and to be very honest, I cried. I don’t want to be a problem in our group but I’m trying my best to catch up. I think I just got culture shocked by what happened yesterday.” Heeseung listened to Youngbin as he opened up about what happened the day before.

“I have a difficulty on following the choreography so I had a hard time catching up whenever you’re teaching each parts. I hope you will be more considerate for the ones who are not skilled enough.”

He took a deep breath before speaking, “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way from the surprise solo performance yesterday. It’s not my intention to do that. That’s my mistake and I will never deny it. I’m not a professional on this field for evaluating you. All I wanted to do was to

improve our performance but I didn’t think about how you would feel.”

At that moment, Sunghoon just wants to pull his hand and tuck him in his arms and get him away from all harm possible.

“from my perspective, Heeseung-hyung is good but I noticed how Heeseung-hyung only spends his time with the good ones which makes our team’s balance is off..?” Daniel said with a shaky voice. He’s nervous he might use the wrong words for voicing out his opinion.

Heeseung was shock by Daniel’s statement. He didn’t expected that someone would notice something he didn’t notice himself.

“if you haven’t noticed, I was trying to help each one of you. I’m trying to spend time with each members but we’re running out of time so I couldn’t do it with everyone. I thought that would help us with our individual performances but it actually didn’t.” he bitterly smiled.

“I already saw this coming. when you voted for me on the first day, I was worried if I can handle it. I knew it would result in this. I wanted to lead us in my own way but I didn’t tell you in advance and planned on my own and got ahead of myself. I’m really sorry for that.”

“and with all of this concerns regarding my leadership, I personally think it’d be best if I’m not the center.”

“ _hyung..what are you saying_ ” Sunghoon almost whispered.

Everyone was left in shock and they all looked at him.

“I.. really mean it.” he tried to smile once again.

“w-why are you suddenly giving up your part?” Seon asked. All of them didn’t saw this coming. The plan was only to talk about their concerns and fix things.

“I already thought about this last night and it’s not like I’m giving it up. I’m thinking about what will happen to our team if I continue with this position.”

Seon thought if he’s really sure about this. He sighed.

“then.. should we.. vote again?”

“as someone who saw everyone’s performance yesterday, I saw who I think is the best for the position. I mean, everyone has the potential but I think Niki fits in this part. What do you think?” K suggested.

Everyone agreed including Heeseung, “I also see him doing this part and I wouldn’t mind if I pass it to him.”

“what do you think Niki? Can you do it? I could help you if you’re having a hard time. Just tell me if you want to switch parts.” He asked.

Niki slowly nods. He’s been wanting the part since day 1 and he can’t let go of this opportunity.

“hyung is it really okay with you?” he looked at Heeseung.

The older smiled at him before he put his arm around his shoulders.

“ Don’t feel bad for me! I’ve already decided and I only need your approval. I believe you can do it. okay? “ Heeseung reassured him and pinched his cheeks.

But that doesn’t end with that.

Whole day of practice became awkward for everyone.

They avoid gazes. They avoid interactions.

Everyone focused on their own performance.

It’s bed time and everyone has already came back to their own rooms.

It was a long day and they deserve to take some rest. Not just physically but also mentally and emotionally.

Sunghoon just finished taking a bath when he noticed Heeseung’s empty bed.

“where is Heeseung-hyung?” Sunghoon asked.

“oh.. at the first floor? I think?” Seon answered, still unsure about it.

“what is he doing? practicing?” _it’s already 12am. What could he be doing at this hour?_

“no. he said he wants to be alone.” Sunghoon just nodded but inside him are all the worries and thoughts about the latter.

_should I go and talk to him?_

Heeseung usually takes his time alone when he’s thinking about something. He keeps it to himself, too scared that he might bother other people with his own problems.

Sunghoon ran his fingers through his hair, still contemplating if he should talk to him or just give him his own time to think.

“ _damn it._ ” Seon heard before he saw Sunghoon storming out of their room.

-

Heeseung was alone at the lounge area.

Hugging a pillow and staring at nothing.

His tears won’t stop falling as he’s still thinking about what happened earlier.

_maybe I should just work harder for the next time._

_if there’s still a next time._

_hah. he’s going to be freaking mad at me, that’s for sure._

“ _you’ve been training for 3 years and you’re telling me you’re still going to pursue this nonsense dream of yours?”_ he remembered all of his memories before he entered the I-Land.

_I’m going to prove you, I’m not nothing._

Heeseung was still deep in his thoughts when he heard footsteps going in the lounge area. He immediately wiped away his tears and looked at himself at the mirror. His face is so puffy and his eyes are all red from crying.

Good thing he brought his tablet with him so he acted like he’s watching the choreography and was about to stand up when Sunghoon came in.

“hyung” Sunghoon noticed the redness of his cheeks.

“oh Sunghoon. why aren’t you asleep yet?” Heeseung kept his head down and walked passed through the latter while watching the choreography on his table.

“are you okay? do you want to talk? you can talk to me if you want.” Sunghoon followed him until they reached the solo practice room.

“Sunghoon it’s past 12, you should sleep. Sleeping late is bad for kids.” he still managed to joke around.

“what about you? you’re still going to practice? It’s already late you can-“ he was cutted off when Heeseung opened the door and finally looked at him.

“I’m okay. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?” Heeseung looked at his eyes. He finally saw how puffy and red it is.

“but hyung you can-“ and again, Sunghoon was cutted off when Heeseung ruffled his hair.

“i. am. okay. you should go to sleep now.” Sunghoon noticed how a tear left his eye which made the other look away.

_you’re not. but if that’s what you want then.._

“hyung” for the last time, he stopped him by holding his elbow.

“don’t blame yourself, okay?” which Heeseung nods into before he fully entered the room.

“good night, hoonie.” He gave him a last smile before he closed the door.

Sunghoon stared at it and sighed before he turned around to go back to his room feeling defeated and disappointed that he didn’t get to talk to him.

On the other side, as soon as he saw Sunghoon went up, heeseung broke down to his knees and continued sobbing.

_I’m so sorry I made you worry._

_but don’t get associated with me, please._

_I don’t want to hurt you._

-

_3:35am_

Sunghoon woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweat still thinking about Heeseung.

_did he came back yet?_

Lights are all off but he still tried to look if there’s someone on his bed. Sunghoon’s bed is in front of Seon’s bed that is beside Heeseung’s.

He can’t see clearly in the dark that’s why he decided to stand up and go to Heeseung’s bed.

There he saw a Heeseung curled up on his bed while hugging his bolster pillow which made him feel relieved.

Sunghoon went to the other side of the bed and quietly layed on the space beside him. _I’ll stay here for a bit._

The blanket doesn’t cover his whole body so Sunghoon pulled it carefully to cover the both of them until the shoulder part.

_pretty, peaceful. He’s the whole definition of perfection._ That is how Sunghoon describe his sleeping face.

_what did I do to deserve seeing his face this close?_ He asked himself. This day obviously gave him a lot of chance to get closer to Heeseung.

While staring at his face, Sunghoon noticed the dampness of his nose.

_Is he crying while sleeping?_

“hyung.. don’t be so harsh to yourself” he whispered as he wipe away the tears using his thumb.

_It’s just a slight crush, Park Sunghoon._ but seeing him cry hurts him.

“I could’ve talked to you awhile ago. I wish I comforted you at least. I’m sorry if I invaded your privacy, again.” he hissed, thinking about how he’s laying beside him.

Sunghoon continued to talk while he’s moving some hair strands that covered Heeseung’s face.

_you’re always wearing a beanie. isn’t it irritating?_

Sunghoon smiled at the thought.

“I’m so sorry.”

“I could’ve done better” _at least as a friend_.

Sunghoon scanned his face one last time dropping a light feather-weight kiss on his forehead. Heeseung might have been startled with the sudden touch for when he moved his hand a bit closer to his mouth, forming a little pout.

_a baby._ he chuckles.

“good night, hyung.” he whispered before he left his bed to go back on his own.

He might be looking like an idiot smiling to himself but he can’t just stop thinking about the cuteness of the older.

_everything will be fine, I promise._

Sunghoon slept on his bed with a smile on his lips as the feelings inside of his chest grow.

-

The following nights became a routine. Sunghoon would always sneak in beside him and maybe sleep a little then wake up to go back to his own bed.

He thought the older wouldn’t notice if he continued doing it like that.

Until the last day before the performance the I-Landers were all tired and exhausted from the whole day practice.

Sunghoon who is out of breath, sat on the floor and rested his back on the pillar of the practice room.

They just finished performing for one last round before calling it a day. Other members are starting to take their own belongings and lazily go up stairs to take a shower before eating dinner.

Jungwon saw how Sunghoon is just staring at nothing with shoulders slouched probably drained from the practice.

“hyung you look so hopeless what are you thinking?” Jungwon teased him to lighten up his mood and offered a bottle of water.

The taller boy just stared at him without any expressions in his eyes then lifted his hand to pat Jungwon’s head.

“you’re.. creeping me.” Jungwon said while slowly distancing himself from him.

Sunghoon suddenly dragged the boy to hug him and dramatically fake cries while still patting his head, but this time, he added more weight which annoyed the younger more.

“jungwonieee~ I’m so nervous I don’t know what to do anymore..” he continued fake crying so Jungwon has no choice but to hug him back with a grimace on his face.

“ _hyung help me_ ” Jungwon mouthed Heeseung for help and gave him the pleading eyes but it didn’t worked. He just laughed at how awful it looks and even sat in front of the mirror to watch them.

“ _I hate you so much_ ” Jungwon added. He felt how Sunghoon calmed a bit so he looked up and saw that Sunghoon is already half asleep.

His other hand is already on the floor while other one is still wrapped around Jungwon.

_I didn’t know this guy can be this irritating when he’s overwhelmed. should I be scared?_

Jungwon slowly removed the arm around him, careful not to wake up the other.

“what should we do with him?” he stared at Sunghoon and sat on the floor.

“what do you mean _we?_ you can do that _JUNGWONIE._ You’re old enough.” Heeseung said, emphasizing the name that Sunghoon called him then walked to Jungwon and ruffled his hair.

Jungwon looked at him and squinted his eyes.

“w-why are you looking at me like that?”

-

“everyone wake up” Jay greeted and loudly clapped his hands.

“why are you waking me up this early” Sunghoon’s eyes are half open, blinded by the light coming from the opened door.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN EARLY? It’s already 11 AM and we’ve been waitng for you two to come out of this room but you’re here enjoying your cuddling session. IT’S D-DAY DON’T YOU HAVE PLANS?” Sunghoon’s eyes opened wide upon hearing those things from Jay.

That’s when he noticed someone’s arms was wrapped around his waist.

_WHO THE F-_

Sunghoon turned around to see the owner of the arm and to his surprise, Heeseung’s face was about an inch closer to his face.

Heeseung felt his surroundings became loud because of Jay’s nonstop complains and the noise coming from the outside.

“good morning” he mumbled with a hoarse voice.

He just stared at him for good 5 seconds before stretching his arms and standing up to walk to the bathroom, walking like a zombie.

Sunghoon was left dumbfounded. He can’t process all of the informations. All he could do is just follow him with his eyes the whole time and stare at the closed door of the bathroom.

_how did I ended up sleeping here again?_

Just like what Jay said, they were all waiting for the two of them to start another run of practice before getting ready for the performance.

“Sunghoonie-hyungieee!! Did you enjoyed your sleeeep?” Jungwon opened his arms for a hug with a wide smile on his face.

“so you’re the reason? don’t talk to me” Sunghoon glared at him and ignored the hug but deep inside him, he wants to give Jungwon a hug and thank him for doing it.

“aww hyung don’t want my hug? whose hug do you want? Heese-“ Sunghoon quickly turned around to cover his mouth before he even mentions the name.

“ Park Sunghoon, everyone already knows you two cuddled. Don’t even try to cover it.” Jay said then proceeded to hug Jake like how Heeseung and Sunghoon looks awhile ago.

Sunghoon’s face was now all red from the embarrassment that his friends are giving him.

At the corner of the room, K saw how Heeseung smiled when he heard their conversation.

K gave him a disgusted look, “you like it, don’t you?”

“huh? what?” he didn’t noticed that K was there with him.

“the tablet! just say you like it and go” K laughed because of the younger’s face then turned around to get everyone’s attention and start the practice.

-

One minute before their performance starts, the I-Landers formed a circle at the center of the lobby to do their chant.

“Let’s all do our best and have fun on the stage.” Heeseung announced.

“who are we? I-LANDERS!!” some still cringed at the thought of calling theirselves as ‘I-Landers’ but they don’t have a choice but to follow.

For the past days, they experienced a lot of problems but they managed to fix it by talking it out and listening to each other.

They might be under a lot of pressure and stress but with the help of each other, these feelings became their motivation to work harder and reach their dream.

This is only the starting point and they will face more challenges that will test their bond and their teamwork but the important thing is..

They learn to grow day by day, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> might fix the update every saturday. depends on how my braincells cooperate haha. i hope you enjoyed this chapter! give me ur thoughts @heeseungluvr. thank u for reading! take care ily!
> 
> just a reminder to pls dont hate the boys. spread love and positivity ^^


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